The largest public car park in Wisbech – with room for 390 vehicles – is to be the new home for a twice yearly fair after Fenland District Council was banned from continued use of another car park owned by the National Trust.
Church Terrace car park in the centre of town will become home for the Showmen’s Guild to run their twice-yearly funfair. The first of these – The Mart – takes places from February 28 to March 8. The car park will be closed to motorists for the duration.
The Church Terrace car park, however, is big enough to accommodate Showmen’s Guild caravans and vehicles which would normally use a section of Somers Road car park.
Cllr Jan French, portfolio holder with responsibility for car parks at Fenland District Council added: “Church Terrace car park provides a central and accessible location for the funfair, ensuring that this historic tradition can continue in Wisbech.
“While we recognise that the temporary closure of the car park for the funfairs will have some impact on motorists, we are committed to balancing the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors.”
Centuries old twice yearly fairs in Wisbech have traditionally used the 220 space car park at Chapel Road which has been leased to the district council by the National Trust.
But the National Trust refused to renew the lease unless it contained a clause banning fairs.
Fenland Council says its sought residents’ views on alternative locations “and after reviewing the feedback, Church Terrace car park (also referred to locally as St Peter’s Church car park) emerged as the preferred choice”.
A council spokesperson said other locations considered were Somers Road car park and Wisbech Park.
The Chapel Road car park is a minute’s walk from the National Trust’s historic Peckover House in Wisbech and is out of use for visitors whilst the fairs are in town.
A National Trust spokesperson said: “The Showmen’s Guild has a charter with the council to host two fairs a year in Wisbech and currently use the car park as their venue.
“There are concerns from us and our tenants that these fairs have outgrown this space.”
The 60 year lease expired on March 24 last year and until now Fenland Council “occupy the site by way of a tenancy at will,” councillors were told.
National Trust car park ban threatens future of historic fairs in Wisbech
Protracted negotiations with the National Trust failed to reach “a satisfactory conclusion”
“The red line position was to be a lease of 30 years without the fairs the extended term being required due to the level of capital investment required at the site,” said a report to Cabinet.
“Failure to reach agreement as detailed above was to result in FDC issuing a notice under s26 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 by which if no agreement were reached would result in a court being asked to determine the lease terms. “
Councillors were told that “following a protracted start to discussions requiring the intervention of the chairman of the Trust substantive progress has now been made and the terms now presented are reflective of this”.
“As previously reported in many respects the car park has reached the end of its design life and regular repairs are undertaken year on year to patch repair, reline or replace damaged fencing and will require substantial capital investment in the medium term to preserve the facility in a safe condition.”
Under the new lease Fenland Council will secure a new lease, with a break clause, but with strict conditions that include for parking of cars only, with no camping, overnight stays “holding any fairs on the premises are strictly prohibited”.
Changes to the permitted use during the Term will only be permitted with prior landlord consent. All other changes of permitted use are prohibited
Officers reported that whilst discussions had secured a 30 year lease, longer than originally offered term to allow for improvement works, “they remain adamant that the ban on the use for fairs will remain”.
Fenland Council estimates the full refurbishment to be around £750,000 but given the length of the new lease and “given capital restrictions this work will need to be undertaken on a piecemeal basis over a number of years, as and when required or when capital availability permits”.
Deputy council leader Jan French said discussions had stalled until “a final attempt to try and persuade the trust to relent and be more amical to the requests of the leader and the chief executive the council sent a joint letter to the chairman of the trust seeking his assistance”.
She said: “This approach does appear to have borne fruit, and the local trust estates team have now made significant movement on the terms proposed.”
Cllr Sam Hoy said the issue between the Showmen’s Guild and the National Trust “it’s kind of not our business to get involved. But if I was the Showmen’s Guild I would be y challenging them on that because they’ve been there many years and they’ve got the statute saying they’re allowed to have fairs.
“But I guess that’s not our battle to have so we’ll have to leave that to them I suppose.”
A council spokesperson confirmed that “the Market Place has not been put forward as a viable option as it is not big enough to accommodate the funfair”.
Fenland Council conducted a two-week consultation which closed on December 13 to find out residents’ views.
